1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a depth detecting apparatus and method for detecting a position of an object, and a gesture detecting apparatus and gesture detecting method for accurately detecting a gesture of an object.
2. Description of the Related Art
To acquire a depth image of an object, time-of-flight (TOF) or triangulation may be used.
When TOF is used, an infrared (IR) light is emitted from a source toward an object and a depth image of the object is generated based on the TOF taken by the IR light reflected back to the source. This method requires the use of a dedicated complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor (CIS) or a high-speed intensity modulator, which is generally referred to as an optical shutter. When a dedicated CIS is used, a function that modulates the intensity of light in each pixel must be provided, which requires an increased chip size and which increases power consumption.
When triangulation is used, pattern-emitting lighting and a dedicated high-speed image processing for an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for extracting depth information from a pattern change are required. Conventionally, during triangulation, a position of the lighting pattern may change proportionally to a distance to an object and increased computing power may be needed to extract a position change of the lighting pattern.